Colombo, July 10: Sri Lanka today announced it
had prepared "concrete proposals" to set up a provisional
administrative structure in the island's embattled north-east
in the hope of reviving peace talks.
The government's chief peace negotiator G L Peiris
said proposals for the administrative structure will be sent
to the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (in the next few
days)."
The LTTE had demanded greater political,
administrative and financial power in exchange for ending
their boycott of peace talks since April.
Peiris, who is also the government's constitutional
affairs minister, declined to discuss details of the
government's latest offer, but said it was "not a carbon copy"
of two previous offers rejected by the tigers.
"What we are sending is not a final document, but
something that outlines our thoughts on a provisional
administrative structure," Peiris told reporters here a day
after the weekly cabinet meeting.
"After taking inputs from the LTTE we will decide on a
final document."
The peace process hit a major snag when the LTTE
announced on April 21 that they were suspending the
Norwegian-brokered talks to protest Colombo's alleged failure
to deliver on promises made at six rounds of talks since
September.
Bureau Report
